The New Workplace Community
Workplace Community suggests an organization that is beneficial, productive, and interconnected. People work well together because they are interdependent and autonomous. Applying the concept of community to the workplace suggests new definitions of how both the individual and the organization achieve top performance (from The Membership Organization, Jane Seiling).
| The New Workplace Community |
Is inclusive, integrative, and flexible
Recognizing that members of the community are diverse in background, skills, and needs makes it possible to see that differences can have a positive impact on the survivability of the organization. Organizations thrive when groups tap these resources, listen to and learn from alternative perspectives, and are open to the influence of members at all levels. Flexibility and adaptability are possible when innovation and creativity are encouraged and attention is given to visionary compatibilities of ideas, visions, and worldviews of all members.
Sets goals that attract the input of organizational members
Each member has the opportunity to offer information and input in setting goals and working toward organizational success. The member feels pride in the accomplishments of the past and sees the organization's future as hopeful.
Encourages collaborative partnerships
Cross-community partnerships increase the sharing of expertise and make it possible to challenge the status quo. These partnerships expand available information and create opportunities to coordinate mechanisms that influence how members work together. Member interdependence and independence are seen as important to the achievement of mastery both individually and organizationally.
Communicates effectively
Providing and seeking information, answering questions, and keeping channels of discussion open eliminate surprises and reinforce feelings of trust and belief in the organization.
Instills pride in organizational membership
Members want to feel proud of the organization they represent. Pride in connection to the organizational community is attributed to successful, balanced consideration, and achievement in all three bottom lines. The human bottom line requires the organization to consider decisions based on the impact on the organizational membership, both individually and collectively. The social bottom line requires the organization to be ethical in how work is done, the products or services it is providing, and its connection to the community it is serving. The financial bottom line requires the organization to make rational, logical, long-term focused decisions.
Is steadfast in difficult situations
When faced with difficult times, the organization considers long-term alternatives that make it possible to keep the membership stable. Members at all levels are willing to make sacrifices and to participate in identifying solutions that are beneficial to the long-term existence of the organizational community.
Understands that the phrase "we are the organization" is significant to the success of the workplace community
The organization recognizes that although it is a collective community, the individual member can affect the success of the company. For this reason, the success of the organization is tied to respect for the success of the individual and the community the organization represents.
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